THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



181 



•B BEE DING AS AN ART. 



The true value of pedigree iu breeding has always been a 

 vexed question among breeders. Men, careful, observing, avd 

 skilful, have frequently come to very different conclusions on 

 a question as interesting as it is imporyint. Some affect to 

 decry blood as a slight thin?, insisting that form, motion, and 

 i'lst proportion should be the principal considerations in our 

 selection of breediug animals. 



Others rely so much on blood that they pay too little 

 regard to form, movement, and symmetry, and can see nothing 

 wrong in pure blood — it must be good, because it should be, 

 from its noble ancestry. 



To be at once a skilful and successful breeder, neither of these 

 theories must be adopted. Experience clearly demonstrates that 

 a race of animals which have been bred so long^as to acquire a 

 fixed type have a wonderful power of comiaunicating- these 

 peculiarities to their progeny. The same general form, the 

 same colour, and the same exprsssion of feature are transmit- 

 ted with remarkable fidelity. When there is only a partial 

 infusion of a particular strain of blood, it is often shown by 

 appearing in some part of the cross, without any evidence of 

 pure blood in any other part of the animal. Thus, a cross 

 between the race-horse and a horse having only a small por- 

 tion of his blood, in the common mare, frequently shows the 

 soft, silky coat of the raco-horse, with perhaps little else to 

 show t!ie cross. Cattle, far removed from the thorough-bred, 

 will ofieii show all the peculiar markings of the race, v.hile in 

 almost all other respects they are entirely unlike them. 



Biit on the same principle by which bloo'5 communicates its 

 valuable qualities, it carries along with it its defects. Hence, 

 before selecting an animal, however pure in blood, we must 

 carefully examine its form, and see if it hss all the require- 

 ments of its race in a high degree; and we must, at the same 

 time, consider whether it is free in whole or in part from the 

 de'ects of its family. If this be so, then v/o must see whether 

 its qualities are superior or fully equal to the best of the race. 



If we fir!d an animal with the best pedigree deficient in 

 form or movement, or valuable qualities, it must be rejected 

 at once. For to attain the best results we must breed from 

 the best blood, and from the product we must again select 

 with the same consummate art those for the improvement of 

 the stock which have the most valuable qualities and the 

 fewest defects. 



In breeding the horse, power and endurance are the leading 

 considerations. But, then, symnetry and grace are elements 

 of so much value to the eye of an amateur, that a powerful ani- 

 mal, rough and uncouth in form, and destitute of grace in his 

 movements, will not usnally meet wih a ready sale or bring 

 a very high price. Thn breeder's constant aim in breeding 

 these ani.nals must be to combine powerful action with sym- 

 metry, grace, and beauty. 



The farmer who breeds cattle must, or should have, a 

 definite object, in his mind. If his farm is roti^h, with 

 short feed, the Durham or Hereford will not be likely to 

 thrive so well as some of our native varieties, or the hard}'- 

 and beautiful Devon. Many of the red cattle of New 

 England are very fine, and I should much like to see them 

 taken up by a skilful breeder. Their colour does not equal 

 the Devon, bein;; several shades lighter.. Their heads are 

 often coarse and large, and their hair is long and coarse. 

 But they are strong, free-goers, hearty feeders, patient 

 under the yoke, and hardy to endure the bitter winter 

 storms of New England. This is a subject to which I wish 

 particularly to direct the attention of breeders at the north. 

 Snjipose you wish to raise a cow for the dairj% we have 

 some noble specimens of dairy cows, inured to our climate, 

 and deep milkers. \V'hoever will select animals for this 

 purpose, choosiug with care and judgment, ^ill be sure to 

 succeed. A fortune would soon be realized to any one who 



can establish a breed of superior milkers. They would 

 attract immediate attention and bring remunerative prices. 

 Have we not as good, nay, b'tter milkers than any we 

 can import .' Very little attention has been paid to the im- 

 proving our native breeds of cattle for this purpose. Thus 

 far I have seen no cattle that, fur working oxen, excel the 

 native bresd of New England. 



The question of the true value of pedigree is embarrassed 

 with another of equal quality. In folio iving ppdipree the 

 breeder finds it convenient to br.eed in-and in, or, in other 

 words, to breed together, two animals nearly related ; and 

 the question is, how far expeiience warrants in this breed- 

 ing? It seems to be everywhere ciyiceded that man must 

 not connect with near relations. This is considered to be 

 fully settled by experiencp, and the insiincts of our nature, 

 seem to admonish us of this great law. But because this 

 is the law of man's nature, it by no means follows that it is 

 a law of animal life, as some have rashlj'concluileiH. With 

 regard to most animals we find no instinct forbidding the 

 intercourse of near relatives, and to a considerable extent 

 it seems a matter of chance. In the case of many insects, 

 breeding iu-and-in is the law of their existence. The 

 female honey-bee La? no connection with the males of 

 strange swarms, but her intercourse is with the males of her 

 own hive. Many insects fertilize theo-selves. 



Some cxpFrienced breeders of cattle and horses think that 

 breeding " in" and then " out," is meant breedmg an animal 

 into tha same family from which it sprung and then into a 

 family of the same breed several degrees of relationship re- 

 moved fi'om it. The English race-horse you may breed to 

 pure blood, and yet the two animals may be only very dis- 

 tant relations. But if jou are desirous of establishirg a 

 new breed or variety, you must to some extent breed '' in- 

 and-ic," in order to perpetuate the qualities prized in the 

 original, and to give the stock bred that fixedness of type 

 and unifo'mity which is of great importance. But this 

 alone is not sufficient. Care must be taken to select animals 

 that bear the closest resemblance to the original, including 

 form, size, colour, movement, expression of countenance, 

 and temper. 



There will be found to be a very great and striking dif- 

 ference in the power of animals of the same blood in trans- 

 mitting to their oflspring their own peculiarities. 'Ihia 

 power will exist in a much higher degree in the offspring 

 strongly resembling the original than in those possessing 

 less resemblance. But it must not be forsotten it is im- 

 possible to determine with absolute certainty what the cha- 

 racter of an offspring will be, simply by a careful considera- 

 tion of its pedigree, or coo^parison of its form and tempera- 

 ment with the original type. Attention to these will enable 

 the breeder to form an opinion of the character of ihe stock 

 the animal will be likely to produce ; and th's opinion, if 

 ! the result of a well-informed judgment, will prove, in many 

 I important respects, correct. Farther than this we cannot 

 i go. In selecting animals for breeding purposes, great rare 

 ' should be taken that v.e do not allow ourselves to be enticed 

 into the choice of an inferior animal by a long and brilliant 

 pedigree. However importnnt, and however much we may 

 desire it, we should never allow purity of blood to blind us 

 to defects in form or substance.--" L.," in American Stock 

 Journal. 



TO PREVENT MILK AND BUTTER TASTING OP 

 TURNIPS. — Cut off the crowns and roots ; don't allow the 

 cows to have their turnips till they have been milked, and 

 never give a bruised or decayed one. Use a little salipelre in 

 the warm milk : this preveiits the taste most effectually. 



